February 2015

Saturday, February 28, 2015

It is not often that my professional research interests intersect with my obsession with the grappling arts. But recently I have been thinking about an important overlap between some research I have been conducting during the past two years on the psychology of humility and some habits of mind that one finds among practitioners of the gentle art. To get my present investigation off of the ground, I want to introduce a distinction between two antonymous traits—hubris and humility. First up is hubris—which involves excessive pride or self-confidence. People who exhibit hubris often also exhibit other related traits such as arrogance, conceit, self-importance, and egotism. This constellation of negative traits is commonly found in grapplers who have an inflated sense of their own skills, accomplishments, and self-worth. Not only can hubris be an impediment to progress—since one thinks one is better than one actually is—but it also leads to a “me first” mindset that makes it less likely that one will be a good training partner and team member.

A paradigm act of hubris on the mats is what happens when a lower belt really goes after upper belts who are already taking it easy for educational purposes. Not appreciating their proper place in the hierarchy of skill, grapplers in the throes of hubris roll harder than they should—which can serve to irritate and frustrate training partners who have more experience and skill. One minute, you let someone have back control and suddenly they’re going after a submission like it was a match for the world title rather than a practice round at the gym. It’s one thing to roll hard with upper belts but it’s another thing to roll with hubris—that is, lacking self-awareness concerning one’s own limitations and underestimating or undervaluing the skills of those who have put much more time into mastering the art.

Rolling with hubris is rolling without the right perspective or attitude. It is to place yourself at the center of the universe. It is to try to “score points” by “showing up” an upper belt rather than rolling to have fun, learn, and help others improve. Rather than respecting your training partners and fostering their growth and development, rolling with hubris breeds frustration and even resentment. Nothing is more frustrating than the lower belt who constantly brags about how he “almost” caught an upper belt, how he kept from getting passed, etc. The response to those who roll with hubris is to bring them down a notch—that is, to humble them in the hopes it will give them the self-awareness and perspective they are sorely needing.

In this sense, humbling someone is a way of leading them from the path of hubris to the path of humility. On the view of humility I have been developing and defending with my collaborators, to be humble is to have two chief traits: (a) low self-focus, and (b) high other-focus. Humble individuals are “decentered”—they focus less on themselves while simultaneously focusing more on others. Being humble doesn’t require one to have a low-minded attitude towards oneself. Instead, it merely requires that one appreciates one’s place in the bigger picture.

It should be obvious that humility is a great mindset for anyone who is interested in being a good student of the grappling arts. Not only does being humble make one a better student, but it makes one a much better training partner as well. A humble training partner is someone who is going to roll with self-awareness and a keen appreciation for how her skills and techniques stack up in relation to others. To roll with humility is to know when it’s appropriate to take it easier on lower belts and when it’s appropriate to turn it up a notch against upper belts. Being humble requires one to be mindful of issues that are often ignored by those who roll with hubris. So, whereas the latter generates frustration and resentment, the former fosters trust and respect. I think that if more people approached their training with humility rather than hubris, those new to the art would be more inclined to stick around since the environment would be both safer and more welcoming.

So, keep this in mind the next time you find yourself going after the upper belts who have often dedicated a lot of their time to helping you improve. Grappling is bigger than you. Know your place within the hierarchy of skill and technique and appreciate how much you have yet to learn. Above all, respect yourself and your partners and remember that while humility is a central grappling virtue, hubris is one of the worst vices for those interested in making progress on their own grappling journey.

Friday, February 27, 2015

The so-called "barataplata" is a technique we've collectively been tinkering with lately. As the videos below show, there are several set ups and lots of details. These techniques dovetail nicely with the monoplata (or Marceloplata!) that I posted about a few weeks ago (see here). Between the two, they have opened up my game by helping me think more broadly about the principles behind shoulder locks and how they can be applied in a wider variety of circumstances. That said, here are some videos--the first few of which are by Rafael Freitas (aka Bartata)--the namesake of the technique! The others I found along the way. The video with Kit Dale and the so-called "Great White" grip is shown as a way of transitioning to the omoplata. But it's a great grip for the barataplata as well. I hope you, too, like the techniques.

Friday, February 20, 2015

While we have excitedly been waiting for my friend's new Devine Jiu Jitsu to open here on James Island, we have been having discussions about how to design a solid curriculum for beginners. So, I have been pouring over several books and watching a bunch of instructional videos--ranging from Gracie Combatives and Gracie Barra's Fundamentals program to Pedro Sauer's Path to Black series. Somewhere along the way, I stumbled across the following series from Matt Serra--which I have found helpful. He covers a lot of the basics and includes a number of helpful details. As a result, I thought it was worth sharing! In the weeks and months ahead, I will be posting several related videos as I prepare myself for the opportunity to return to some of the basics. After a few years of focusing on more advanced submissions and guard systems, I am very much looking forward to working on my fundamentals. Thanks to the interwebs, Matt Serra is one of my guides on this journey back to the basic roots of jiu jitsu.

Thursday, February 12, 2015

In celebration of what would have been Grand Master Helio Gracie's 100th year, Ronaldo Aoqui (Gracie Humaita-Rio Grande do Norte) has posted a video of 100 techniques (see below). To add to the celebration, I have included some other videos. The first three include some self-defense instructional by Helio. The other two include some self-defense instructional by Helio's oldest sons (Rorion and Relson, respectively). Whatever one thinks about the ongoing debate about the relationship between self-defense and "sport" jiu jitsu, these videos are worth watching and the techniques shown are worth learning!

Monday, February 02, 2015

I am a bit busier this week than normal, so it's been hard for me to keep up. So, I thought rather than trying to organize some of the videos I have been watching and thinking about, I would simply throw together another episode of Grappling Links with some links to articles and some to videos. If you have any suggestions or interesting food for thought, please share in the comment thread!